Holocaust survivor passes away

Holocaust survivor John Gruschka has passed away at the age of 101 after a life of caring and contribution.

A volunteer in the Curatorial Department of the Sydney Jewish Museum from 2011, Gruschka completed more than 530 translations of documents in the museum’s archives, including translating his own family’s wartime correspondence of more than 70 letters and postcards.

Born in Aussig in German-speaking Czechoslovakia, he fled the rise of Nazism, eventually reaching Manchester on his 15th birthday. His mother Helene stayed behind to care for her own ailing mother. Their farewell at Prague railway station was the last time they saw each other.

Sydney Jewish Museum head curator Roslyn Sugarman described the letters’ revelation of the gradual intensification of persecution, but also of a mother’s enduring love. Helene’s last letter, written just before her deportation, was heartbreakingly brief: “Unfortunately, departing tomorrow. Lots of kisses.” She was murdered at Auschwitz in February 1943 aged 53.

In addition to his museum work, he volunteered with Waverley and Woollahra councils and spoke to students about his experiences. The museum celebrated his 100th birthday in February last year, honouring a man who, as Sugarman said, was “pragmatic, composed, and with that understated humour”.